RIDE 

Catch You Dreaming

Single Review

RIDE – 2017. Photography courtesy of the band’s Facebook page.

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It seems like right now RIDE are surfing the crest of a wave as enormous as the one that rolls across the cover of their 1991 debut Nowhere. Not content with merely reforming in late 2014 and assaulting the world stage with the sonic rock compositions that garnered them such critical acclaim, the shoegaze pioneers went on to release last year’s stunning new album Weather Diaries. Now, RIDE have surprised fans yet again by releasing two brilliant new tracks from their forthcoming EP Tomorrow’s Shore and this one, Catch You Dreaming, is a six-minute epic electro rock soundscape.
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Easing into things with some pulsing synth lines and reverb soaked guitars Andy Bell‘s vocals set the scene thus:

“Catch You Dreaming is written from the perspective of being one of the last two people alive, watching as the Universe is ending. The protagonist looks back over the time when humanity existed, realising that we as humans have bought about our own demise. Then the couple look back over their own lives of shared memories and as they are sharing this moment everything vaporises. It’s a love song about nostalgia, fate and having no regrets”

RIDE circa 1991

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And there is definitely as sense of the nostalgic in the sounds presented here too: pulsing synths and sequences give the piece a decidedly 80’s electro pop feel, underpinned by Steve Queralt‘s bass lines that are straight out of the Peter Hook textbook. And there’s a beautiful contrast between verse and chorus structure as well. Bell’s more subdued verses give way to some of their trademark harmonies before Mark Gardener gives us the uplifting cry of “we’ve done nothing wrong”.

There’s an overwhelming sense here that this is a band still pushing forward creatively. It would have been so easy for RIDE to return and release Going Blank Again 2, but with such a deep well of inspiration to draw from this fresh batch of new songs exhibit a more mature, broader palette. Couple this song with Pulsar, the lead track from the forthcoming EP and RIDE have all the makings of another modern classic on their hands, with enough of the elements of their previous work thrown into the mix to appease older fans whilst capturing a new legion of shoegaze fanatics at the same time.
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Tomorrow’s Shore EP is release worldwide on February 16th

Pre order your copy HERE